Marlo Mortel finds therapy in music

MANILA, Philippines — After battling with anxiety and depression last year, Marlo Mortel hopes to inspire us through his music.

He is doing better now and his next step is to tell his experiences through his songs. “Para marami ding mga tao na matulungan ko kasi words are very powerful. Words are encrypted sa mga songs. Kaya ’di ba we find healing and comfort sa mga inspirational music because sometimes all we need is a little bit of hope or as part of joy and light that the songs bring,” Marlo told The STAR in an exclusive Zoom interview.

The singer-songwriter-actor is talking about his recently released songs under PolyEast Records, Mahina and then Bituin, which tackle mental health.

“I went through a tough season of anxiety last year. I stopped all that I was doing. Nahirapan ako, in short. It led me to discovering myself even more,” revealed Marlo.

Due to his mental health struggles, he got interested in going back to school, particularly studying human behavior and mind. He is currently taking a Neuroscience course at Harvard online. He wants to “see and find out about the scientific side of it (mental health).”

“Gusto ko sana mag-Psychology but it’s gonna take a lot of time and effort on my end. I’m also doing a lot of stuff so mas practical if I just enrolled myself sa certificate courses. It’s a three-part certificate course and nakapag-acquire ako ng isa na verified certificate for that. Aside from that, I’m also studying music technology and voice technology,” said the 28-year-old Kapamilya star.

Personal fears, magnified by the pandemic situation, triggered his anxiety last year.

“Nakadagdag siyempre ‘yung nasa pandemic tayo dahil kulong tayo sa sarili nating thoughts and emotions. What we also feel madalas is ‘yung panic. Hindi naman yung pinaka-result ng anxiety eh. Lagi tayong naka-panic mode, panic attacks,” shared Marlo.

Asked what he learned from his mental health journey, Marlo said, “You just have to let thoughts run like water instead of bottling it up.”

“What I want the people to understand is dapat mawala na ‘yung stigma sa Pilipinas na, ‘Ano lang ‘yan, nababaliw ka lang’ or ‘kayang-kaya mo ‘yan ma-ano basta ‘wag mong isipin,’” he added. “You don’t want to think about it, actually. Pero ang nangyayari, sobrang anxious ka, or nagkaroon ka ng traumas in life, lagi mo siyang babalik-balikan.”

He also shared, “What we have to do is, train our thoughts, our minds para mas maging mentally strong tayo. For me, that’s No. 1. It is more important than physical health because you can’t even function if you’re not in a good mental state.”

Marlo said he was also able to overcome anxiety with the help of other people. “I watched videos of people who are experiencing the same thing or those people who are full of wisdom,” and that’s where he was able to “learn and grow.”

“It’s a normal thing. We should normalize people who are dealing with that. It’s very treatable and kayang-kaya siyang malampasan. It doesn’t go out like that (snap of a finger) in an instant. Pero dahan-dahan, makakapunta ka din ‘dun sa tinatawag mong stage of thriving,” he furthered.

When his mom passed away in 2018 due to cancer, he thought he had “moved passed it,” but, “It’s something that I didn’t expect but until now, I still feel lonely every now and then because I’m very close to my mom as well as my dad. Andun na rin naman kami (with dad) sa step na acceptance and living the life na alam ko na gusto din niyang magawa.”

Last August, he appeared in one of GMA 7’s shows but clarified that he is not transferring to the network. “Nagpaalam ako sa Star Magic (ABS-CBN’s talent management agency). Walang bad reasons, I just want to really find myself dahil nga andami kong pinagdadaanan that time. Medyo naging open ako sa iba’t ibang networks. I did a guesting in GMA. It was just a very fun guesting, I enjoyed it. Last month, I came back to Star Magic na, with my family.”

Now that he is back, he wants to focus more on his music and acting. “Kasi before nakilala ako na actor talaga. I don’t mind. Pero ‘yung singing (naging) on the side lang siya. Ang hindi alam ng mga tao is ang reason ko for entering showbiz is my music. So, I wanna be known as someone that is serious — a serious musician, singer-songwriter that can also act and host.”

Marlo is known for his role as Nicolo in the ABS-CBN’s drama series Be Careful with My Heart and Gabriel Luna in Oh My G! He is also ready to take on more mature roles. “I want to have an advancement when it comes to acting,” declared Marlo.

Meanwhile, asked what music is to him, he said, “It’s therapy for me. It’s my outlet for my emotions. It really helps me a lot, not just music-wise but also in life. What I want to happen is to inspire people through my music.”

The inspiration behind his second single Bituin is about finding inner peace and happiness in life. “It’s a song that I wrote for my best friend (who lives in Vietnam) because she finds comfort and healing sa stars and I bet all of us do. What I want to remind people is that our happiness, our hope, love, it all comes from within. And just like the stars, ’yung mga good attributes natin, it doesn’t disappear. What we just need to understand is sometimes we need the darkness to shine.”

How would he describe his music in general? “I’ve been writing songs since I was in third grade. When it comes to my singing style, it’s a mix of everything — pop, soul, country, R&B but basically, I’m a pop (acoustic artist),” said Marlo, whose influences are Jason Mraz, John Mayer and Katy Perry.

As for his songwriting process, he said he could somehow write a song in an instant and finish it in 15 or 30 minutes. “Yung Bituin I wrote it in one sitting. Sabi nila medyo kakaiba kasi medyo makata, malalim yung mga Tagalog because I believe that life is very complex. Walang perfect description sa mga nararanasan natin sa life. What is more important is we understand each other through music. It is one form of communication. And ‘yung songwriting ko, minsan nauuna yung music, minsan nauuna ’yung lyrics.”

He is currently working on a new single after Mahina and Bituin. “Yung ni-record ko recently na kanta, I believe that a lot of people can relate to this. It is a song about heartbreak called Ready to Start.”

Asked what love lessons does he want to share through Ready to Start, he said, “Don’t be afraid to love. Kasi you’re not really sure naman eh na it’s gonna be a good or a bad one. But take the risk of falling in love because ang sarap ma-in love. And don’t blame yourself if at the end of the day, it didn’t work out again because sometimes hindi lang talaga tama yung mga tao na nakikilala natin. But always be Ready to Start.”

In the future, Marlo hopes to collaborate with Up Dharma Down. “I’m a huge fan of the band UDD. I also want to have a single and collaborations with any Kapamilya artist.”

With all the things that he’s been through, can he finally say that he has found his voice as an artist?

“I’m very happy with my label because they let me exercise my creativity by also co-producing the song and by letting me do what I want. I said, gusto ko ‘tong sinulat ko dahil mas nakaka-relate ako.

“I could really say that ‘nung mga past years, I don’t regret my previous releases when it comes to my album. My (previous) songs kasi (I was) in that path of exploring and discovery. But finally, right now, after everything din na napagdaanan ko sa life, I’m very secured of who I am as an artist.”